NBC's new sitcom "Undateable" is as much of an imitative hodgepodge of other shows as almost every other sitcom on broadcast TV. But it has one asset that pushes it beyond the just watchable level: Chris D'Elia.

A survivor of the "Whitney" debacle, where he was infuriatingly under- and misused, D'Elia is the kind of offbeat talent TV always tries - and mostly fails - to harness. "Undateable" comes closer to letting D'Elia be D'Elia and the result is ... wait for it ... "D'elightful."

That was a horrible play on words for which I should be drawn and quartered, but it is oddly apt, because as much as anything, "Undateable," premiering Thursday, owes a lot to "How I Met Your Mother," and D'Elia's character is a scruffier, less self-adoring version of Barney Stinson.

D'Elia plays Danny, who elevates womanizing to a fine art. He's so good at it that he feels obligated to share his wisdom and experience with his "Undateable" friends: geeky human ostrich Burski (Rick Glassman), candy-loving walking care bear Shelly (Ron Funches) and pudgy gay Brett (David Flynn). The guys all hang out at Justin Kearney's (Brent Morin) bar, called Black Eyes, which sparks a nifty wordplay joke in the premiere episode when a newcomer hears it as "Black Guys."

Justin himself isn't exactly undateable, but he's not very smooth with women. He says the wrong thing at the wrong time, and stupid things most of the time. Also, he's inordinately proud of his love of choral singing, which often suggests to potential dates that he's not the marrying kind.

The more Danny shares his wisdom about women with his pals, the more we understand that he's even more damaged than he perceives them to be, because he's terrified of commitment. Taking Justin on as his "little bird" protege, he recoils in horror when Justin refers to Danny's love interest du jour as his girlfriend.

The bar setting immediately suggests "HIMYM" as much as Danny's resemblance to Barney does. And, yes, this is an ensemble show as well. But D'Elia grabs most of our attention, and deservedly so. He may not be GQ handsome, but he has a loopy, loose-limbed style, a terrific facility for wacky voices, and sharp comic timing.

Created by Adam Sztykiel, "Undateable" still doesn't quite capture the zany entirety of D'Elia's comic style, but it comes closer than anything he's done so far. The rest of the cast is solid; the writing works; the familiar situation is at least freshened by snappy direction and appealing characters. Thursday night is, of course, a minefield for a new sitcom to navigate, but at least "Big Bang Theory" and "The Millers" will be in reruns, and, yet again, this is why God invented time-shift viewing.